White says Taylor was on the trip with nine other teenagers and two leaders from the church. He says members of the church have been on the trip before, but this was Taylor's first time.

White says everyone on the current trip is scheduled to come home this weekend.

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PANAMA (WKOW)-- The mother of 16-year-old Malachi Taylor of Beloit, tells 27 News her son has been missing in the Pacific Ocean in Panama since mid-day Tuesday. He was swimming in the ocean when the current pulled him out to sea.

Authorities with SINAPROC, Panama's national civil protection system, say they're searching for the missing 16-year-old near the Las Lajas Beach in Panama.

Local authorities are searching by land, air and sea to find Taylor. The U.S. Embassy in Panama has reached out to the family.

Family members say the above picture of Taylor was taken just days ago during his flight to Panama. It was his first time being on an airplane.

Taylor is traveling with a group of students as part of a missions trip with the Good News Christian Center in Beloit Wisconsin. 27 News has reached out to the church for comment, but our calls have not been returned at this time.

As of 6:00 p.m. Wednesday the search efforts were still ongoing. SINAPROC officials were still combing the coast line looking for Taylor. Stay tuned to wkow.com for the latest on this ongoing search.